The Secret State Budget

It now appears that the now seven months overdue state budget will soon get the third and essential Republican vote for the required two-thirds super majority approval in the state senate. That will move the money bill on to the Assembly where its fate remains in doubt. Its gotten to the point that the only way for this state of 37 million people to get its budget passed is to do 100% of the negotiations in secret. The special interests of this state exert such control on both the political left and right that for political survival our term-limited legislators took themselves out of the process. They happily deferred to the so called Big Five, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, State Senate President Pro Tem Daryl Steinberg (D-Sacramento), Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Culver City/LA), Senate Republican Minority Leader Dave Codgill (R-Modesto) and Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines (R-Fresno), to make the deal behind close doors so as to protect themselves from the wrath of their respective bases.
On the right, Republican party activists will make life a living hell for any of legislator who votes for a budget that includes any tax increases. Activists and GOP party leaders on talk radio have the clout in our gerrymandered senate and assembly districts to defeat any errant solon in the next GOP primary. Similarly, Democrats face retaliation primarily from state public employees unions who oppose just about any cut of state services. While they cant beat sitting Demos in the next primary, they can sour their chance to move up the career ladder by tarring them with the anti-labor label.

Thus the secret negotiations. The sad thing is that the clandestine process just might work. Given all of the other political realities plus the economic essential during a depression to get state government back in gear, it may be the only way to get the job done. All of this is proof positive that the political system in our once Golden State is fundamentally and perhaps hopelessly broken. Do I hear talk of a constitutional convention?